There’s no denying that the role of the Human Resources professional has vastly changed with the “future of work.” No longer are HR pros simply responsible for recruiting and retaining talent. The role now requires HR leaders to be strategists who proactively solve for problems before they even arise.
With that in mind, equipping HR with the tools necessary to cut down on time spent sourcing talent and get straight to the insights needed for strategic hiring (and business decisions) is more important than ever, resulting in a more empowered and valuable function for the organization.
Today’s technology places strategic tools in HR’s toolbox, ultimately allowing for more informed navigation and decision-making. Here are key tools that help HR leaders bring strategic guidance to their organization while earning them a seat at the table for organizational planning and impact.
Data-Driven Strategy
Modern HR departments are all about being resourceful and forward-thinking. Because of the expansive nature of HR departments’ responsibilities, these leaders need data-driven software that efficiently tracks and organizes the vast amount of information their department receives—like BambooHR or Workday.
Employee engagement and morale are evergreen hot topics for employers, so the ability to efficiently track employee performance is also critical. Whether a separate software or as part of a more comprehensive solution, tracking production, impacted results, and contribution to the organization enables HR, with input from both the supervisor and the employee, to better comprehend overall performance and benchmark against it.
A tech tool like SAP SucessFactors or an HR management system (HRMS) with a customizable performance review module ensures evaluations are as in-depth as possible and set both the employee and the organization up to succeed.
Employee engagement is the third element of efficiency. Keeping employees engaged has become a priority for many employers, and a big part of increasing engagement is listening to employee feedback. By combining survey, task management, gamification, and data analytics tools with employee engagement software, supervisors and HR can solicit feedback from employees.
Gathering insight into what increases employee engagement, lowers productivity, or leads to turnover is valuable when it comes to maintaining a seat at the table; popular options include Culture Amp and Kudos.
Power in Numbers
HR leaders now have data analysis tools to provide insights into employee productivity, turnover, or the time it takes to fill a position. Attendance data may show a correlation between how many days an employee misses work and turnover or that entry-level workers in accounting historically leave before the 2-year mark. This knowledge empowers HR leaders to create long-term strategies that proactively resolve these issues and improve overall employee retainment and satisfaction.
Additionally, the cost to attract new employees is high. As the competition for talent is fierce in the U.S. labor market, the right salary offer, or wage increase, can be the deciding factor for a candidate to join or an employee to stay. HR leaders need a streamlined way to research salary answers based on a role’s skill, experience, and educational requirements at a local level.
A tool like LaborIQ™ helps business leaders, HR, and hiring managers determine a competitive salary offer based on job title, industry, and market. Users can also compare salaries by job title across six markets and gain insight into the future talent supply for a specific market and industry.
Mastering these tools plays a pivotal role in a company’s decision-making and culture. Understanding how to leverage data enables HR leaders to communicate with company leadership on how to react—or be proactive—when it comes to trends that may impact a company’s workforce growth plans and to better prepare resources for annual planning.
A Defined Culture
Not only must HR manage the administrative processes affecting compensation, performance, and workplace safety, but it is also often tasked with the tall order of creating an employee engagement plan—or, in layman’s terms, a company culture.
To create a standout company culture, HR should have a pulse on what the company values represent and recruit people who embody those values while sharing the company’s mission. Hiring the right people and creating an environment where teams thrive will lead to both a high-performance culture and a company’s financial success.
Though not always part of the C-suite, HR pros and hiring managers play a critical role in a business’s strategic planning and help produce tangible outcomes. When HR leaders embrace and leverage available technology, they empower themselves with a strategic point of view and impact that echoes throughout the organization.
 Claudine Zachara serves as President and Chief Operating Officer, with responsibility for management of ThinkWhy. As the Cofounder, her focus is on driving the vision, values, and culture for the organization while setting strategic direction, creating sound operational procedures, and delivering profitability. Zachara brings 20 years of experience in commercial operations and has experience that includes leadership roles in private and public companies, board positions for nonprofits and municipalities, building high-performance teams, and driving sustainable growth.
ThinkWhy is helping companies navigate a new era of work by creating modern, human-centered software that supports better career lives. The company’s flagship product, LaborIQ™, helps employers understand market-performance indicators, talent supply and demand, salaries by occupation, and benchmark individuals and teams through one intuitive platform—with actionable answers to support strategic business planning. Learn more at www.ThinkWhy.com, or follow ThinkWhy on Twitter and Instagram at @ThinkWhy_, on Facebook at @ThinkWhyLLC, and on LinkedIn at @ThinkWhy-LLC. |